Butler County Man Pleads GuiltyTo Producing Child Pornography

Kristopher K. Sims, 30, Augusta, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography. In his plea, Sims admitted that on Nov. 20, 2012, he made a recording of a 12-year-old girl engaging in a sexual act. Sims was in Kansas and the girl was in New York. He used his computer and a video-chat service to engage in a video chat with her, which he recorded.

Sims first met the victim when she was 11 years old via Facebook. He posed as a boy who was 15 or 16 years old. Over a period of months, he communicated with her in chats and video messaging. He persuaded her to engage in sexual acts, which he captured in live video feeds from her computer. Sentencing is set for June 2. He faces a penalty of not less than 15 years and not more than 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Grissom commended the Augusta Police Department, the Wichita Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.